This afternoon I was in Dublin to meet and spend some time with an American cousin, her husband and son who were staying in the national capital on their way back to the United States of America rebellious colonies after being on the Isle of Man for a week. Maggie and I have been corresponding – mostly using Facebook for some time now and formerly my father, Brian, and her mother, Mary, communicated via email. This afternoon I was able finally to put not just a face but a voice and something of her personality to my knowledge of her. It was also great to start to get to know the next generation – Rory – as well meet her husband Thomas.

We seem to share a number of passions between the four of us. The three adults have a love of Gaelic music, and music in general; dancing seems to crop up as well; Thomas and I both like pipe organs – discovered when we were visiting St Michan’s Church (more on that later); and Rory and I share an interest in the Thomas the Tank Engine stories The Railway Series by the Revd W. Awdry.

I caught the 1035 Enterprise service from Belfast Central Station to Amiens Street Station (now called Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile). I seem to be one of the few people today to have travelled on the route south who was not affected by delays either due to signal failures or security alerts.

Having arrived in the national capital, I walked to Bewley’s in Grafton Street where I spotted Maggie, Thomas and Rory. Last night, whilst arranging how we would know each other, Maggie had said that Rory would probably be dressed as a frog – and indeed his raincoat did have a frog’s face on the hood… it was very cute.

We went into Bewley’s and upstairs to have some lunch. I think that Rory did the best of us all as the children’s menu includes ice cream at the end!

Thomas, Maggie, and Rory on the Liffey Bridge.

Fortified by our sustenance we started to make our way to St Michan’s Church as the three Americans wanted to see the mummies that are on display in the crypt there. Not having a decent map of the city between us, we were working on my memory that the church was behind the Four Courts, and after quite a bit of walking (including going over the Wellington Bridge (now known officially as Droichead na Life (the Liffey Bridge)), we were shown how to make music with spoons by a busker on the street, and from there we continued past the Law Library (sadly my friend Kyle is in Germany at present – but now I know where it is) and we finally made it to the church.

What's that man doing with the spoons?

The vaults under St Michan’s are visited by anyone who pays the fee and goes on one of the tours. We were informed that the reasons why the bodies that were on display were mummified was a combination of the lime stonework of the crypt, the temperature remaining the same all year round, and the methane gas or

cow’s farts

as it was imaginatively described for the six-year-old’s benefit) that rises from the ground beneath.

As for the mummies, it was possible to look at them from behind a small fence and then, to my horror and disgust, to go and

shake the hand of an 8oo year old Crusader.

I think that of the seven or eight people on the tour at this point I was the only person not to go and do so. I didn’t do so as I felt that this was no way to show respect to the bodies of those who had been buried and laid to rest in the crypt. I wonder how we would feel if in one hundred years if people were to open the coffins of our relatives.

We were told that that it is illegal to open a coffin once it is interred and that the only reason that the mummies are on view is that the coffin tops disintegrated and so the remains were put together to be viewed.

I’m not really convinced by this argument, and I am not really comfortable with anyone visiting the remains at all. I did so this afternoon really because I did not want to appear prudish in front of my relatives, and also so that I could make a judgment myself. Having been on the tour, I am really disgusted that human remains can be used in this way. I understand that St Michan’s probably needs the income generated from the tour to keep the building open – but I am not convinced that this is really an appropriate source of income.

Maggie and Rory on board the Luas heading for Amiens Street.

We returned to Jervis to get on to the Luas to get me back to Amiens Street station for the ten-to-five train. Unfortunately, we missed it by about four minutes, so we headed back to Marks & Spencer again by Luas. Rory loves anything to do with trains it would seem, and whilst Maggie went in search of some clothing, us boys had something to drink in the cafe upstairs. Rory was additionally lucky in that he got to have a gingerbread man biscuit.

Maggie, Rory, and Michael in Abbey Street, Dublin.

All too soon it was time for me to return to the Luas to make the train to Belfast. Before we parted, Thomas took a photo of the three of us with ‘Carchrie’ in our name – Maggie, Rory, and myself.

Tomorrow, the three of them have to make their way from Harcourt Street to the Airport, I hope that they will be able to make it easily, as with the State Visit of Her Majesty The Queen to Dublin beginning tomorrow security is bound to be tight. Indeed today we saw phone boxes sealed, Post Office boxes sealed, and Gardaí out with what looked like glue guns sealing anything that opened in the pavement.

The poster in Amiens Street for éirígí's protest to the visit by Her Majesty The Queen to Dublin,

It seems that Her Majesty’s visit to Éire is not going to be allowed to pass without some sort of protest. On arriving back in Amiens Street I found that there is to be a protest march to Dublin Castle on Wednesday organised by éirígí.

From éirígí’s website I find that their reasoning for the protest is that

On May 18th the Dublin government are to host a lavish banquet in Dublin Castle in honour of the ‘British Queen’. Hundreds of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Ireland will gorge themselves on the best of food and wine while all around them the people of Ireland struggle to survive.

I trust that restraint will be shown by all involved in any protest against the visit by Her Majesty The Queen to Dublin. Now is not the time for rioting, nor is it the time for any attempts at triumphalism by anyone else. I hope and pray that this visit will continue to build on the more normal relationships between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Éire (Ireland).